God's Will that We Suffer?

In a book I recently read the author mentioned that Jesus told his followers he was sending them out as sheep in the midst of wolves. . . Our prayers do not allow for that. We think if it's dangerous, God must not be in it. If it's risky, if it costs it must not be God's will. Considering Jesus' statement to the Disciples maybe those are actually the criteria that defines God's will.

 

The author gave an example of meeting a Christian brother from the Batak tribe of northern Sumatra in Indonesia. He told the story how his tribe came to know about Jesus. Years before a missionary couple had come to his village to share the gospel. The tribe was 100 percent Muslim. Talk about sheep in the middle of wolves. The tribal leaders captured the missionary couple, killed them and ate them as in what cannibals would do.

 

Years later another missionary came to the same tribe and the people of the tribe recognized they taught the same story the other missionary couple had told. This time they listened. Some believed and within a short time most of the tribe became followers of Jesus. Today there are 3 million Christians among the Batak tribe of Northern Indonesia.

 

Instead of praying for safety and security maybe we should be asking God to give us the strength to be willing to be that first missionary couple. Are we willing to go into a dangerous place and possibly die to permit those who come after us see the positive results of our sacrifice?